BJP national president Amit Shah, who is visiting Mumbai on Thursday, will meet Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray.

While the BJP and the Shiv Sena had both confirmed earlier that no such meeting was on Shah’s agenda, Uddhav is learnt to have taken the initiative to invite Shah and expressed his desire for a meeting.

Following this, the BJP president gave the nod, and the two would meet at 9.30pm Thursday. Before that Shah will visit late Bal Thackeray’s memorial at Shivaji Park.

The meeting assumes significance in the backdrop of the ongoing seat-sharing talks, with both sides engaged in hard bargaining.

BJP leaders confirmed that Shah’s Mumbai visit was to address party workers and visit Ganesh mandals only, but after Uddhav personally called him up and requested to meet, the party chief gave his consent.

...Shiv Sena is a clear loser after the sad demise of Late Balasaheb Thakare...It will be wiser for Uddhavji to accept this and offer some seats to other parties to keep the Congress- NCP away.....what happendedin Bihar re-elections reflect only local issues..and they have no bearing on Maharashtra....Hope that better sense will prevail ultimately....and Congress NCP will be washed out from the state...!